2012...

2012 promises to be the most exciting year in more than three decades for The Distractions.  Not only will the impossible be made possible, with the release of The Distractions retrospective, but we'll see the group's first album in 32 years.  With these in mind, here's our top 5 Distractions moments of 2011:

5. City Fun articles...

Thanks to Mike Noon who painstakingly scanned old copies of the City Fun fanzine, we were treated to a glimpse of the late '70s, early '80s Manchester post-punk scene.  The City Fun "house band" were featured regularly, in some great pieces, as well as some duffers.

4. Mike Kellie joining the group...

Bringing on board a sticksman with such pedigree as The Only Ones' Mike Kellie was a real coup, and his influence on the recording of the new album, No.2 on our list, was undoubted.

3. Unearthing so many forgotten gems...

The number of old hidden master tapes, demo reels, alternate takes, live cassettes and much, much more, means that No.1 in this list promises to be better than any of us could ever imagined when the possibility was first raised.

2. Recording the new album...

We've heard how the studio sessions went and a lucky few have heard acoustic versions of some of the tracks.  The anticipation of hearing The Distractions' first album since 1980 is only beaten to second place in our list due to... 

1. The confirmation of the long-awaited Distractions compilation...

Legal wrangling had prevented prior efforts to release some of The Distractions' back catalogue, and to date, only a couple of tracks have made it to CD compilations, the famous FAC 12 and also Doesn't Bother Me.  But now, thanks to the influence of Neil Storey, former Island Records Head of Press, and behind the scenes work of others, the comprehensive and fully-remastered retrospective is planned for Spring 2012.